Don't Stop Believing
by shatteredfire
Summary: They met on a train, and they never thought they'd meet again. But things never just go like that, do they?  for Demyx/Axel day.   rated for language
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Happy Demyx/Axel day! (I'd usually say it's AkuDemy day, but, as a friend pointed out to me today, the ordering is wrong... so.) This is something I'm planning on finishing, but in honor of it's two main characters, I figured I'd start it up today. Though I'm usually not into songs like "Don't Stop Believing", it was stuck in my head all day, and Demyx somehow ended up listening to it... and the story went from there.

Anyways. Mostly AkuDemy, with some side-mentions of Zemyx and a little bit of onesided AkuRoku.

**Disclaimer:** Axel, Demyx, Zexion, and any other characters belong to Square Enix. The lyrics to "Don't Stop Believing" are by Journey.

* * *

_Just a city boy… born and raised in south Detroit… he took the midnight train, going anywhere…_

He leaned his head against the window, trying to let himself be lulled by the somewhat jerky motion of the train. The music blasting in his ears was successful at drowning out the rest of the people around him, but didn't even begin to silence the thoughts scurrying around in his head.

_A singer in a smoky room… the smell of wine and cheap perfume…_

Sure, life had seemed like crap when he got on this train. And sure, it _still_ was crap. One failed band after the other, getting fired from his job because his ex had too much influence and a grudge… life from where he came from wasn't too great. Life where he was going… he had no guarantees on that, either.

He reached for his iPod, meaning to turn up the volume, and caught sight of someone standing next to him, a man with spiky red hair. When the stranger realized that he was being watched, he grinned, the smile changing his features from something that closed off the world to something that welcomed it in.

_For a smile they can share the night…_

Pausing his iPod, Demyx pulled out his earphones. Noticing the motion, the stranger asked, "Can I sit here?"

He felt his heart skip a beat at the sound of the man's voice, and squelched the emotion. _Remember Zexion?_ "Sure."

The stranger's smile didn't fade for an instant as he dropped himself into the chair opposite him, throwing his bag next to Demyx. "Thanks. I'm Axel."

"Demyx," he replied, and felt a smile rise to his own face. It was an odd feeling. "You headed to the city?"

"More like wherever." Axel shook his head. "Had to get away from stuff, you know? Might go back, but sometimes you've just- got to see what life's like somewhere else."

Demyx nodded, sympathetic. "Know that feeling. I'm just trying to get away from a lot of failures and a crazy ex."

"Looks like we've got a bit in common." Axel laughed, a low sound. "Not an ex for me, but someone who used to be a friend and got a bit… obsessed."

They kept talking like that, for hours as the train bulleted into the night, a pair of strangers. And when they got off, they got off together, picking a place purely by the sound of its name, laughing at themselves, a pair of vagrants running away from things instead of trying to pick up the pieces. They said good-bye under the flickering streetlights, thinking that would be the last time they ever saw each other.

But as Demyx walked away, he felt a little bit more optimistic. Less like Zexion could fuck up this life as royally as he had the last one.

And that was supposed to be the end of it.

But things never just end because they're supposed to.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Happy Demyx day, everybody.

**Disclaimer:** Characters belong to Square Enix.

* * *

The usual crowd assembled in the diner where he worked, filtering in and out, familiar faces painted with make-up for a night out and strangers whispering into the laminated menus, a bit unnerved by the atmosphere of the restaurant. Demyx glided between the tables, waiting on them with the easy charm he wore as a mask just for this job. It wasn't a great living, but, he told people, it kept him going between gigs. Never mind that the town change three months ago hadn't dropped a band or any gigs into his lap.

Humming under his breath, he circled through the restaurant, stopping at tables as he needed, bringing plates of food out. The scent of the meals made his stomach rumble as he carried them, reminding him that there, once again, hadn't been time to eat before his shift. He needed to work on that.

"Demyx, you're singing again." One of the chefs, Aqua, shoved some plates at him. "Shut up before Tifa hears. She hates it when you do that."

"What was I singing?" he asked, balancing the food-laden plates.

Aqua thought about it for a second, her eyes rolling upward in concentration. "That song by Journey. The one that's about shadows and boulevards?"

"Weird." Demyx turned, and wove his way through the diner, brushing past tables. He hadn't listened to Journey in _forever_, since he'd fallen back into a David Bowie kick again. Careful not to start singing again, he dropped the plates off, and went to go and check on the new customer-

Axel was sitting the booth, his spiky hair being crushed by the confined space of the plastic seat. Demyx grinned, tapping the table to catch the red-haired man's attention. "Speak of the devil."

"_Demyx_?" Axel looked startled, green eyes widening in surprise. "I didn't know you worked here! And who were you telling about me?"

Demyx laughed. "Nah, every time I find you, it involves Journey. You have an order or something?"

"Yeah, a chocolate milkshake. And fries." Axel grinned, handing Demyx the menu. "Since when are you a waiter? I thought you played."

"I'm a waiter with a job to wait tables," Demyx said, and turned. "Which means I'd better put in your order."

Axel's low chuckle followed him as he skated through the restaurant. Even as he kept working, his gaze kept wandering over to his red-haired friend, who was drinking probably his fifth cup of coffee now, and eating a slice of cheesecake. Tifa, who was the owner of the diner and the head chef, had already given him a warning about spacing out when working today.

Finally, his shift came to an end, and Axel finally gave up on the coffee that had gotten cold ages ago. "I never thought you would get off of work," the redhead joked, following the blond out onto the street.

"You didn't have to wait," Demyx replied, shrugging into his sweatshirt. It wasn't quite fall yet, just the beginning of September, but the weather was already getting cold.

Axel shrugged. He seemed, Demyx was jealous to note, totally unbothered by the cold. "I'm cool with it. It's not like I've got anywhere else to be."

"What, life in the Radiant City not what you thought it would be?" Demyx grinned, but it was bitter. "Familiar feeling. We've always got something in common, don't we?"

"Seems so. Too bad it's not like, I'm rolling in dough and can blow it on buying people fancy Italian pastries." Axel matched his smile, green eyes glaring at the sidewalk.

"What, you want to buy me pastries?" Demyx shoved him slightly. "You barely even know me."

"Aw, is that all there is to friendship? Knowing each other?"

Demyx sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Isn't it?"

"Didn't you feel like you knew me forever, when we were talking on the train?" Axel's gaze had shifted to the stars above them, already turning into the cold pinpricks of light that came with a winter sky.

"I… guess."

"So, we're friends, got it memorized?" Axel shoved Demyx this time, making the blond stumble. "So you'd better not vanish for three months this time."

"Give me your phone number, then," Demyx said on an impulse.

Axel pulled out a chewed up pen from a pocket, and scribbled his number on Demyx's palm. "There. Be sure to call, blondie."

"What?" Demyx half-yelled. "At least I don't look like a fire truck exploded on me!"

The redhead grinned, shrugging. "Whatever, Dem. Talk to you later- and if you don't call, I know where you work." He strolled off, changing directions.

Demyx considered his ink-covered palm. The number was ridden with eights, easy to remember. Sighing, he went home.

Every time he met up with Axel, it made a situation just seem a little bit easier.


	3. Chapter 3

The bright lights lit up the sky above him like a shower of multi-colored stars, swirling in the brisk air. Demyx spun with them, his bizarre hairstyle being whipped out of shape even as the redhead's hair stayed perfectly in its carefully groomed spikes. The laughter of the blond was bright, cheerful, fitting his personality and their location with an ease he hadn't known in weeks.

They wove their way away from the ride, Demyx still laughing his head off. "Zero-G… I've got to remember that one. It's crazy! I can't believe I let you talk me into that, Ax…"

Smiling, Axel tugged his blond friend along. "Demyx, if you think that one ride is the best this carnival has to offer, you're insane. Harvestfest is a long-standing tradition here."

The friends were circling their town's Halloween-themed fair, nibbling on candy corn and playing games. Axel had finally persuaded Demyx to try one of the fair rides, choosing Zero-G because it looked like about the most threatening ride that the fair had to offer. And now that the blond was on a… gravity high or something, dragging him along would no longer be a problem.

Though their friendship had started through some odd events, Demyx and Axel had truly become close after their chance meeting in the diner. Demyx had called Axel, something like apprehension churning in his stomach, waiting through the two rings, and then feeling something akin to disappointment as an answering clicked on with a single word: _"SPEAAAAAK."_

_ "Uh, hi, Axel, it's me, um, Demyx, and you said I should-"_

_ The other line picked up. "Demyx! Hey, what's up? Sorry, I thought you were Kairi. I love my sister, but she's just a little bit psycho sometimes, so I've been letting the machine pick up her calls."_

_ "Oh. Uh. Okay. I'm fine, how are you?"_

_ "Good, good, good. Avoiding life from the safety of my apartment walls." Axel laughed. "You doing anything just about now?"_

_ "Not really."_

_ "Then meet me at Tifa's, blondie! Phones just aren't my style, memorize that. So let's hang. I know a great place to get ice cream!"_

_ "Axel, that didn't mean-"_

After that first day, Demyx learned just to abide by his insane friend's whims. He never answered his phone until you started talking on his answering machine, a habit developed from his sister's odd habit of calling to chat about inane things because she had nothing better to do. And, in exchange, Axel learned that Demyx was rarely awake before eleven, but could be found kicking back in his apartment with his guitar and some records at any time of the night.

_ "What are these?" Axel had asked one day, turning over the flat black disc in his hands. "Records? A collection?"_

_ "As much as anyone has a collection of CD's," Demyx replied, taking it back and sliding it into its case. "I like records. The only reason I have any digital music is because they don't release it on records anymore. That's the only thing I miss about home, my collection back there. My sister's taking care of it for me, though."_

_ Axel had been mystified by it, but when Demyx's birthday came at the end of September, he was given a fairly rare- and fairly expensive- record for a present by a grinning redhead._

Demyx followed his friend through the fair, getting on the bobsleds and the swings, and then gorging himself on cotton candy, maple flavored for the season. Familiar faces drifted past- almost the entire town was either working here or attending the event. Tifa had closed the diner early tonight just to let her employees attend in a fit of magnanimity, which they had just run with and not stopped to question.

"What next, Demyx?" Axel was licking the last remnants of sugar off of his fingers, a contented smile on his face in place of his usual smirk.

"I dunno," the blond answered, throwing the cone that the candy had been wrapped around into a trashcan. "I've been at this fair for exactly as long as you."

The pair ended up following the crowd through an antique car show, and into a distant section of the fairgrounds, where the bright lights faded gradually into a forest. Demyx leaned against a tree, looking up at the light-choked stars. Axel stood next to him, scrutinizing his blond friend.

Demyx was actually turning back to another memory, reminded by the rough feeling of bark behind his back and the stars trying to outshine man-made lights in the heavens.

_"You know, Axel, when you said you wanted to go on a picnic, I thought you were crazy."_

_ They were sprawled on the ground, backs leaning against a tree, watching the stars. A few yards away, recently abandoned swings still creaked with the remnants of motion, dizzying in their slight rocking. Music drifted into his left ear, a set of earbuds they were sharing, from a playlist they had compiled a few weeks ago. Their music tastes weren't meant to mix, particularly- punk rock and old school rock made for a weird playlist._

_ Neither genre was playing currently, though. Axel had, as a joke, put "Don't Stop Believing" onto their playlist, saying that it would guarantee the mix of them and that song. Demyx had made a face, but gone along with it, not inclined to argue since he sort-of liked the song, anyways._

_ "I'm never crazy," Axel replied, almost lazily. "You'll find that out as you hang around with me. There's not a moment when I'm not one-hundred percent right."_

_ "Egoist much?" Demyx laughed, and shifted his gaze upwards. "The weather's going to get too cold for this soon."_

_ "Are you permanently cold or something, Demyx?" Axel smirked, glancing at his friend._

_ Demyx wrapped his arms around himself. "I hate winter. It's too cold." He squeaked a second later when Axel inched closer, leaning against his shoulder._

_ "I don't get you," Axel said, chuckling. "But that's part of your blondie-ness, right, blondie?"_

"Demyx. Demyx. Demyx. Earth to blondie. Come in, blondie."

"Shut the fuck up. Did you hear me? Shut the-"

Axel laughed. "What was that? You keep on spacing out on me tonight. Not cool, man."

The blond shrugged, fixing his gaze back on the fair. "I dunno. I keep on remembering times we were hanging out, you know? It's like night of the reminiscing in my head."

"What, and I don't get to join the party?" Axel punched him, and laughed. "Let's go get some ice cream. It's getting late, anyways."

"This isn't late," Demyx argued as they started back. "Four in the morning is late."

Axel's grin spread wider, like a Cheshire cat's. "So… I'll follow you home and we'll play video games or whatever you do in your spare time."

"Fine. But ice cream first!" Demyx laughed. "And I'm paying this time. You've been buying everything. If you can't buy food after this, I'll feel bad."

"I have no regrets," Axel replied, dragging the blond along as he picked up his speed. "But I'll concede to you on ice cream."

They snaked their way through the fair, and bought towering cones of soft serve, which they ate and laughed as they left the fair, making the long walk through town a timespan for eating their frozen treats. Eventually, they found themselves sprawled on Demyx's floor, taking turns smashing their way through the first three temples in _Ocarina of Time_.

Somewhere in the middle of the fourth temple, Axel noticed that his blond friend had fallen asleep, against all odds and the time. "All talk, I guess," Axel said, dropping the volume on the game as he continued on his quest to kill the strange ghosts. "Oh, Demyx. You're such a stupid person sometimes." There was a quiet sadness behind those words, and the redhead bit his lip, wrapping up the dungeon and saving the game after another half-hour of button smashing.

Leaning against his friend, Axel muttered, "You're wonderful, but you really aren't very intelligent sometimes…"

* * *

**A/N: **Gah. I hate the way this chapter turned out, so I may come back to edit it once this story is done... but I kept on writing, in essence, this fair, so I just went with that idea eventually. There may be a real plot surfacing out of this... but it may also just be fluffy and a quick ending. Opinions?

**Disclaimer:** I neither own the characters (who belong to Square Enix), or _Ocarina of Time_ (which belongs to Nintendo).


	4. Chapter 4

Morning came unnaturally early for Demyx that morning. He was dreaming, half awake that someone was poking him in the side.

"_Wake. Up. I didn't catch a ridiculously early train to watch you sleep!"_

The blond rolled over, or tried to, and met a solid block to the motion. Opening his eyes, he realized that there was someone, namely Axel, using him as a pillow, and a second someone actually prodding him in the side with the toe of their shoe.

"Wha' time is it?" Demyx asked, rather blearily, sitting up carefully, trying not to disturb the redhead.

"It's almost eleven, you freak." The blond sat there, trying to figure that out for a second, and then blinked suddenly.

"_Larxene_?"

"Yes, you moron." The blonde woman standing above him rolled her eyes and dropped gracefully onto the couch. "Nice to see you, too."

"Why are you here?" Demyx twisted around, trying to see her now that she had moved behind him. "I mean, it's- I'm confused."

"Doesn't take much." Larxene rubbed her temples, glaring at him. "You sleep like the dead. Speaking of which, why were you sleeping on the floor?"

"We were playing Zelda!" Demyx grinned at her. "But that doesn't explain why you're-"

Larxene cut him off quickly, asking, "And who's your redheaded friend?"

Axel, cracking open one eye, replied, "Wishing he was asleep. Eleven is not a decent hour, woman."

"Woman?" The blonde sent him a glare that brought to mind _if looks could kill._ "Bring me a sandwich, firetruck-head. I take no crap."

"This is my sister, Larxene," Demyx explained, waving his hand generally. "Larxene, this is my friend Axel."

"Pleasure to meet you," Axel said, closing his eye.

Larxene rolled her eyes, and turned her attention back to her brother. "Hey, Demyx, since I came all the way here and woke you up, let's get breakfast. Or lunch. You know." She shifted uncomfortably, raising a hand to fix some nonexistent flaw in her bizarre hairstyle.

Shoving Axel away, Demyx stood up. "You're being weird today."

"Are you passing up a free lunch?"

"Axel's coming, too."

"I never said that."

The blond gave his sister a reproachful look. "You _woke_ me _up_."

"Fine, firetruck can come, too." Larxene stood up, glaring at the pair even though they were both a few inches taller than her. "You two look like something the cat dragged in."

Axel sat up, running his hands through his spiked hair, seeking to restore some semblance of order to it. "You're not looker yourself. Are we going?"

Demyx shrugged. Larxene glared. Eventually, she sighed and decided just to ignore the redhead as best she could.

The three of them trooped out into the cold of the early morning, breath misting out in front of them. The blond seemed filled with energy, while the carefully polite redhead and other blonde were trudging their way across the concrete in their more natural hour of the morning behind him.

Axel steered them down the street, finally bringing them to a café that he knew of. The warmth hit them, a wave of dry, warm air, while overhead, a bell tinkled faintly, drawing the attention the barista, a girl with steel-blue hair. She stared at them, her unnaturally colored eye almost glaring at them.

The redhead, undaunted by her, wandered up to the counter. "Hey, Fuu."

She didn't give a reply, just continued staring at him, which made Axel laugh. "Yeah, so, my new blondie is treating us to breakfast." He proceeded to rattle off an order that made Larxene grimace, but not actually complain.

"Yes?" Fuu's gaze switched to glaring at Demyx. He jumped, and hastily made up an order. Larxene finished, without prompting, by ordering coffee, black.

The three seated themselves at a table, Demyx and Axel facing Larxene. She spread her hands out on the plastic-coated surface of the tabletop, apparently fixated on her nails. The two opposite her were slumped against the backs of the booth, the "early" morning catching up to them.

"Here." Fuu swooped down on their table, spreading plates around with the practice of a waitress. She shrugged, and turned, tucking her tray under her arm and retreating to the counter.

Larxene ignored her coffee as the other two ate, revived by the sugar in the treats. She stared into the steam, and finally looked up, teal eyes focusing on her brother's face.

"Demyx, I'm not usually the one to cut things short, so I'm not starting now. Here's the deal. Zexion? He's coming here. Sometime this week, maybe today. Sorry I didn't get to tell you earlier."

The blond had paled at the sound of the name. "You're joking. Tell me you're joking, Larxene."

"I'm not."

"Why would he do that?" Demyx picked up his drink, rolling the cup between his hands. "He said he hated me."

She held up her hands in defense. "Don't ask me. You leave, and he vanishes for maybe a month. Stopped harassing _me_, which was nice. And then, couple of months back, he's back. Except this time, he's badgering me about where you've gone. Never told me why. I didn't tell him, of course, but… I don't know how he found out."

Demyx just stared at her, astounded. "What the hell. What the _hell_. What am I supposed to do about this?"

Larxene shook her head, and stood, fishing a pile of tens out of her pocket. "You're an expert at running away, aren't you? I've got to go. Marluxia doesn't know I'm skipping work, so if he figures it out, I get screwed over really fast."

He didn't reply to her, just kept rolling the cup between his hands, not looking as she sighed, and left the café. Axel stared at his best friend, who seemed disinclined to acknowledge the world. Finally, the redhead broke the silence, saying, "Demyx? What just happened?"

The blond shook his head mutely.

Axel groaned. "Dem. Answer the question. It's not going to help _anyone_ if you act like this didn't just happen!"

"I can't do it. I _can't_." Demyx put down the cup, and glared at his food. "Zexion's a nightmare. He can't come here."

_Let's try this from the beginning._ "Who's Zexion, Demyx?"

Demyx looked up, and started laughing, a sort of insane laughter that was raw from tears. "Zexion's my insane ex."

That didn't really help. Axel considered his next question for a moment, and then asked, "So… he's coming here?"

"That's what I hear." Demyx was still laughing, shakily. "I don't know what to do, Axel. He's crazy."

The redhead- with some difficulty- suppressed the obvious question of _why_ Demyx had dated a lunatic. "Howso?"

"It's hard to explain." Demyx picked up one of the pastries on his plate, and started shredding it. "It's just like… impossible. I don't know. Zexion's sort of _is_ impossible. You catch him in a good mood, and he's what makes the Earth go around the sun, but if you catch him in a _bad_ mood… it's not like he deliberately tries to hurt you." The blond fell silent, staring at the pockmarked piece of food he held. "I don't want to deal with him. I never want to see him again!"

"I can understand that." Axel rubbed his temples, resting his elbows on the table.

"Can you?" Demyx's cerulean eyes glanced sideways at his friend. "Really?"

"I'd sure like to," Axel replied. "Or maybe I do. I had my own freak back where I came from, remember."

Demyx was silent for a long moment. "I… I guess so. But it's not the same."

Axel sighed. "Maybe not. But we're supposed to be friends, right? I'm always going to be here for you, Dem. It would take a lot more than your insane ex coming to town to convince me that I shouldn't always be there to help you when you need it."

For a moment, the blond's color returned, and he almost smiled. "Thanks, Axel."

"Anytime, Demyx. Anytime."

* * *

**A/N:** I feel like this chapter took me an unusually long time to write, and it was a slightly abrupt change of plot. .'' Oh, well... the way I wrote this one more closely resembles the way that the rest of the story should read- my plotted stories generally get written differently than the first two chapters of this one. I'll try to get the next chapter written within the next week or so, but since I won't get any chance to write this weekend, it may take a little bit longer.

^-^ Until next time!


	5. Chapter 5

The day had taken a turn for greyer weather by the time that they left the café. Demyx wrapped his jacket around him, feeling the bite of cold through the thin fabric. He had been cold since he had heard _his_ name from Larxene, cold despite the fact that the café's air had been dry and warm, and now Axel walked beside him, warming the air around him as usual.

The blond shivered, keeping his eyes on the concrete in front of him. He had really liked the Radiant City. It had been almost better than home, what with his new friends. For a while, he had been toying with the idea of asking around and trying to start up a band, but he hadn't really yet. And now, he discarded all of that and was contemplating whether running away was the right option for him.

"Dem?" Axel was watching Demyx out of the corner of his eye, almost watching him think through his emotions. The blond shook himself, and glanced at his redheaded friend, the confusion on his face being replaced by sheepishness. Axel sighed, and shoved his hands into his pockets, considering his words. "Are you… okay?"

"No." Demyx's reply was quick, whispered on an exhalation. "But, would you be okay if your… stalker or whoever came here?"

Axel winced. "Different situations. I'd probably kick him back on the next train home and tell him not to come back until he's got more sense. But he also knows that, so won't ever come here."

"I wish I had those guts," Demyx mumbled, tugging on a thread hanging loose from the bottom of his hoodie. "But I've spent a life being kicked around."

The redhead remained silent, once again paying special attention to his words. "Demyx… you don't have to just…"

Demyx cut Axel off before he could finish. "I know."

Axel bit his lip. "Then what's wrong?"

"I don't have to, but that doesn't mean I won't." Demyx smiled, a little bitterly. "He's going to catch up to me, and that's how it will be. Right?"

"Don't just decide things like that." Axel stepped in front of him, cutting the blond off. "I'm not going to watch you make bad choices because you think that's how things ought to be."

"So what are you going to do?" The shorter blond stared up at his friend, a little bit helpless.

"Try and find a better way to deal with this. You could avoid him."

"How? He probably already knows where I live." Demyx's head drooped, and Axel frowned slightly, already hating Zexion.

"I just said ten minutes ago I'd help you, right? So let's go back to your place, and come up with a plan."

They started walking again, Demyx's shoulders still hunched up against his heightened perception of the cold. Axel shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling more than a little frustrated. Demyx had seemed like he was going to stay in one piece through this, but the somewhat airheaded blond could still manage to overthink things into the worst possible situations.

Not at all a useful skill in an already-bad situation.

Demyx looked up when they reached the building he lived in, shuffling through the door that Axel held open for him. The redhead followed him up the stairs, not making any comment until Demyx was rattling the key in the lock, something that hadn't worked since long before Demyx had started living in the apartment.

Taking a deep breath, Axel decided to try his rephrasing his original question. "Demyx, are you going to be okay?"

The blond finally turned the key in the lock, and pushed open the door. "Maybe."

It was a better answer than the first one. Axel took it.

With the ease of habit, Demyx tossed his jacket onto a chair placed near the door in substitute of a coat rack, and kicked off his shoes. Sliding on the linoleum floor of his kitchen, though without his usual enthusiasm, Demyx stopped at the counter, spotting a sheet of white paper that had been placed there. His first assumption of the author made no sense- Larxene had woken them up and talked to them.

But that only ruled out the _sane_ authors of the note. And he had a feeling that it was none of them.

Picking it up, Demyx took a single look at the handwriting, and turned, walking into Axel. He squeaked, and jumped back, shoving the piece of paper into his pocket. The redhead crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow, not actually asking the obvious question.

Demyx looked away, refusing to answer it.

Axel sighed, and took the more direct route. "That was an interesting noise you just made."

"Y-you think?"

"Dem, what was that?"

The blond paled. "I can't read a letter in a few seconds, contrary to popular belief."

"Are you going to read it?" Axel leaned against one edge of the doorframe, his electric gaze never leaving Demyx's face.

"No."

"Then what exactly was your plan based on it?" The redhead's voice was soft, someone coaxing a frightened animal out of their terror.

Demyx shook his head. "I didn't have one." He paused, and then dug the paper out of his pocket. "What do I do about it?"

Axel shrugged. "It's your choice. I don't know enough about your history to tell you whether or not to read it. But I wouldn't do anything based on a letter you don't know the contents of."

For a long second, Demyx turned the paper over in his hands. Finally, he unfolded it, cerulean eyes skimming over the words. He crumpled it, far before he could have finished a letter of its length, and threw it away.

"Dem?"

"I don't want to deal with him," Demyx whispered, his voice small and hollow.

"What did it say?" Axel took a step into the kitchen, and then stopped, unsure.

The blond shook his head. "Read it yourself."

Stooping, the redhead scooped the crumpled paper, and read it, taking the time to read the entire letter. He looked up again, and smiled sarcastically. "Yeah, this isn't a person I'd like to be dealing with."

Demyx folded his arms around himself. "I'm kind of stuck with him."

Making what he reflected was probably not a good decision, Axel took another step forward and hugged Demyx. "Don't stop believing, blondie."

Startled, Demyx laughed. "That was the worst song reference I have ever heard."

Axel stepped back, and smiled. "It made you laugh, didn't it?"

"That's true." The blond's smile had quickly turned to a shadow of its former self. "What do you think, then?"

The redhead smiled, a vicious expression gleaming in his eyes. "Demyx, I do believe Zexion has invited us to dinner."

* * *

**A/N:** This took me a looong time to write. .'' I'm sorry; I've had a combination of "oh crap, what IS the plot of this story...?" and schoolwork. And, I'm very sorry that this chapter decided it was going to be an emo Demyx moment, a random hug, a weird letter, and otherwise just a means of getting from point A to point B. But, hopefully, I'll get the next chapter up very quickly!

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this. ^-^


	6. Chapter 6

_Demyx-_

The words never changed.

_I came to visit you, but you're not here. Shame, isn't it? I missed you, you know. You didn't even call me. Do you know how long it's been, Demyx? And Larxene was no help, either. But I found you. And you're not even here._

He could stare at this letter for hours and hours, but the slightly smeared words wouldn't change. Wouldn't tell him anything but what he already knew, that Zexion could do whatever he wanted, walk into his life at any moment and smash it to pieces with his mere presence.

_I'm sure you'll have to come back to your apartment soon, right? I'd like you to meet me for dinner tonight. There's a restaurant called Cedidit in this town. I've made reservations for us at six. I'd like to talk to you._

The now much-creased scrap of paper was the proof of that to him.

_ I love you, Demyx._

At least there was Axel.

_ -Zexion._

"Demyx?"

The blond looked up from the letter, and smiled, the expression a little bit too frantic and tired to express anything like happiness. Axel sighed, and held out his hand. Without saying anything, Demyx accepted it, and was pulled to his feet, tucking the note into his pocket as he stood.

It was time to go. And meet his fate, as cliché as it was.

Outside, the night was laced with winds that his only suit jacket did nothing to stop. They made an on sight, walking together in their scrounged-together finery, listening to their playlist on Demyx's iPod, crossing town on foot to get to the restaurant, barely speaking, since Demyx was too wound up in nerves to hold a coherent conversation.

The restaurant Zexion had specified was lit up inside and out, sparking vines of lights laid out on the ground, a glowing building that was a far cry from the comfortable familiarity of the diner that Tifa ran. Demyx clicked off his iPod, wrapping the headphones around it as they walked inside.

"Hey, we've got reservations?" Axel was the one talking to the maitre-de, using his usual charm to their advantage. "Under the name of-" He paused, glancing at Demyx, who jumped.

"Oublié."

"-Oublié. Zexion Oublié? It should be for two, but there was a fast change of plans and we need it for three, if that's possible?"

The maitre-de gave the redhead a measured look, and wrote something down. "Follow me."

The inside of the restaurant, Demyx thought, didn't glow or glitter, like its exterior did. It gleamed, all candlelight and dark wood. It was almost like a metaphor, he thought, and almost let out an insane giggle. Like their inviter himself. All pretty on the outside, but an inside that was shadow-drenched.

Poetic, or as poetic as he got when he was this strung out.

They were led to a table by a window, looking out over a strip of dark water, a river. Demyx seemed transfixed by it, leaving Axel to study the menu to occupy the time until their missing host arrived.

Since his back was to the center of the restaurant, and the cream-colored pages he was pretending to be fixated on took up a surprisingly large amount of his attention, Axel missed Zexion's entrance, his expression upon seeing that Demyx had brought a friend. It would probably have been amusing to him, but all he got was a hiss down the back of his neck.

"And who the hell do you think you are?"

Axel turned, and took in the man standing behind him. Markedly shorter than either him or Demyx, but much more intimidating despite that height. A single cobalt eye glared down at him, the other shielded by a curtain of steel-blue hair.

"I think I'm Axel. And you, I presume, think you're Zexion Oublié. Now that we're gotten introductions out of the way, I hear you're buying us dinner?"

"Demyx, who is this?" It was shocking how cold the man's tone could be when speaking to one person, and then so gentle the next moment.

The blond blinked. "He's Axel. He's my friend."

"But why did you invite him?" Zexion sat down, flipping open a menu, though his gaze never left Demyx's face.

Demyx didn't reply, just looked down at his menu.

A flash of annoyance raced through Zexion's expression, and then vanished again. "Demyx, I asked you a question." The tone had changed again, a little bit steelier.

"He's just my friend, Zex." Axel frowned at the nickname, and went back to fake-reading his menu. "Don't mind it, okay?"

Zexion smiled, a saccharine expression matched with a deadly glare at Axel. "Of course, Demyx. Whatever you like."

A waiter interrupted their conversation, collecting orders from the trio. Axel, out of spite, ordered the most expensive items on the menu, and earning an icy glare from Zexion. Demyx was giving him an anxious look, probably trying to warn Axel off from pushing it too far. The redhead cheerfully disregarded that, though. He had never been one for taking warnings when they were given.

Their drinks had been brought by the waiter before anything else was said. Zexion took a long sip of his, and then fixed his gaze squarely on Demyx. "So, Demyx. How long are you planning to stay here?"

Demyx, who had picked up his glass of water, put it down again, carefully, his hand shaking. "I- I… what do you mean?"

"How long are you staying here? When are you going to come home?" Zexion's expression was patient, but his single visible eye had twitched to rest on Axel's face, and he was rewarded for switching his gaze. The redhead stood up, sending his chair crashing to the ground, smoldering with fury.

"Who do you think you are?" He was yelling, sending the entire restaurant into a shocked murmuring. "You come here, and you string us through your little game, and now you think you can play fucking _mindgames_ about Demyx's _life_?"

Zexion smiled, something in the expression saying he had anticipated Axel's reaction. "I know I can."

"You don't know shit," Axel replied, still far louder than normal, but not quite yelling anymore. "Come on, Demyx. Let's go."

"Axel-" The blond cut off his sentence, and shifted his gaze between the other two. "Is that a good idea?"

"A better one than staying with this bastard." Axel yanked Demyx to his feet. Zexion rose as well, his mouth twitching into a frown.

"No, listen to him," Zexion snapped. "Maybe _you_ can't handle this, but Demyx really should stay."

"Go to hell." The redhead tugged on Demyx's arm again, sending him stumbling forward. "That's where people like you belong." Not letting Zexion reply, and tugging Demyx along with him, Axel left the restaurant. The man with slate-colored hair narrowed his eyes in annoyance, but a mad half-smile tugged at his expression.

Demyx didn't speak as Axel dragged him outside into the cold and halfway down the street, but he broke away after a while. "What did you do that for?"

"Because I didn't want you listening to whatever bullshit he was about to spout." Axel was still angry, his breath clouding like steam in front of him.

"It wasn't a very good way to leave," Demyx said, his voice nervous. "You had the entire restaurant staring, you know."

"They can all go shove-"

"_Axel_." The blond folded his arms around himself for warmth, and gave the redhead an almost pitiful glare. "They don't have anything to do with this. Come to think of it, neither do you!"

"Of course I do!"

"You only do because I asked you to. Maybe that was a bad choice."

Axel stared, and then shoved his hands in his pockets. "I see how it is. You're mad because I ruined something back there for you."

"No!" Demyx balled up his hands into fists, digging his nails into his palms because he had no other outlet. "I'm mad because I was going to try and do something and now I don't know _what_ to do!"

"Maybe you could try asking for help instead of just flying to conclusions!" Axel took a step forward. "I didn't know you had some big plan, and maybe I overreacted-"

Demyx surprised him by interrupting his tirade with laughter. "Overreacted is to how you acted as fire is to water."

"That analogy made _no_ sense." Axel sighed, and shrugged. "But whatever makes you happy."

The smile faded from Demyx's face. "Yeah. Whatever makes me happy. Let's go get dinner someplace else, Ax."

Axel sighed, his breath clouding in the air. "Right. Maybe this dinner will stand a chance of working."

* * *

**A/N:** Whee, Zexion's one (and possibly only) appearance. ^-^ Yesh... this story will probably be ending soon, since otherwise I'd have to abandon it for a solid month for NaNoWriMo. Heh... Yeah.


	7. Chapter 7

They ended up at Tifa's diner, eating greasy burgers that Aqua had brought to them herself with a sympathetic frown because it wasn't a busy night. Demyx picked at his dinner, eating fries and the lettuce off of his sandwich, while Axel bit into his viciously, missing the chance to spend someone else's money on delicacies. They ate their burgers in silence, Demyx not wanting to talk and Axel realizing that he had already messed something up by pushing a conversation around.

"Dessert, you pair?" Aqua was back, staring them down. "Your moods certainly need the sugar. It's like a rain cloud. _Whoosh_."

The blond shoved his plate away. "No thanks. I don't think I can eat."

Frowning, the blue-haired girl collected the plate. "You should. What happened, did Axel scream at a restaurant filled with people because _darling_ Zexxy was being a bitch?"

"How do you know that?" Axel snapped, glaring at her.

"Because Ven works there and _told_ me, duh." Aqua rolled her eyes. "Real classic, Axel, if I do say so myself. You make yourself look like an ass and now things are worse for Dem."

Groaning, Demyx slumped forward, burying his head in his arms. "Aqua, go away."

"Blueberry pie it is. À la mode, on the house." Aqua turned, and then snapped her gaze back to Axel over her shoulder. "Fix things, firetruck. And _maybe_ I'll bring you coffee."

Axel sighed. The bribe of coffee wasn't that powerful, but she was right on several levels. Besides, he had ignored more than enough good pieces of advice tonight. "Dem-"

"Don't try and patch things up just because Aqua told you so," Demyx muttered, not looking at his friend.

"Demyx."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"I'm buying you dinner, at least talk to me?"

"Why?" The blond picked up his head, looking distinctly annoyed. "You've already done enough tonight."

"I thought you forgave me for that." Axel sighed, biting his lip.

"I never said that." Demyx pressed his fingers against his eyebrows. "I said that you overreacted is what I said."

The redhead folded his arms. "Well. I'm sorry. But you acting all petulant and childish isn't helping anyone, least of all you."

"Screw you," Demyx muttered. "I'm as childish and airheaded and self-centered as they come."

"I wouldn't _quite_ agree with that," Axel said, leaning forward. "I couldn't like someone who's more self-centered than me."

Demyx looked up, a bit startled. "_You're_ not self-centered. You spent all this time helping me. Or trying to, anyway."

"Yeah." Axel smiled, a tiny change in expression. "That's me being self centered, alright."

"You helping me is _not_-"

"It _is_, Dem. I just _said_ I was self-centered. I only do things for myself."

The blond glared at him. "Yes, because_ helping_ someone _else_ is being self-centered."

Axel just laughed. "You're _also_ unobservant."

"I am _not_," Demyx snapped. "I thought we were being nice to me?"

"Yeah, well, I'm a terrible person. So sue me." Axel leaned back in his chair. "You're unobservant. Or did you not notice that you and Aqua are my only friends?"

"I-" Demyx stopped talking, staring at him. "No."

The redhead smirked. "There you go."

"So, enlighten me, then." He crossed his arms, blue eyes turning back to their petulance as he glared at Axel. "What's so important that I've been missing that makes you self-centered for helping me?"

"Think about it for a while," Axel said, accepting a cup of coffee from Aqua.

The blue-haired girl smiled at the blond, and gave him a plate with the promised pastry on it. "He's being nice now, you know. I promise."

Stabbing his fork though the flaky crust, Demyx muttered, "I don't see how making me play a _guessing game_ is _nice_."

Sitting down next to him, Aqua said, "You know, he's not one to be very open. And when he says 'unobservant'… well, he kind of does mean unobservant… but…"

"Go away, Aqua," Axel said over the rim of his cup. "I was having a conversation, you know."

She gave him a smirk to match the playful warning in his tone. "Right. Don't leave Dem floundering _too_ long, Ax." She slid out of the booth, winked at Tifa, who was watching her with a raised eyebrow, and went back to the kitchen.

Demyx was dissecting the slice of pie with his fork, watching the ice cream melt into it. "You planning on telling me, Axel?"

"Telling you what?"

"I mean… you're…" Demyx looked down at his plate, and then shoved it away, standing up. "Whatever. I'm going home. Tonight sucks to start with, I'm not playing riddles."

Placing his cup on the table with a dull _chink_, Axel said, "Listen, Dem. I'm-" He broke off, running his hand through his hair. "Well, I'm not good at saying things," he mumbled finally.

Demyx rolled his eyes, and shoved his arms into his coat. "So you're only eloquent when you want to be? Thanks, Axel."

The redhead sighed. "Fine. Go home, and maybe tomorrow you can catch a train back to- where _do_ you come from?"

"Don't you mind it," Demyx snapped, and left the restaurant. Axel rolled his eyes, fished a twenty out of his pocket, and tossed it to Tifa as he followed the blond out the door.

Luckily for the redhead, Demyx wasn't disposed to running when he was sulking. Within a few seconds of leaving the diner, Axel had caught up to him, and stopped the blond in his tracks.

"Listen, Dem, I'm not really talking my best tonight, but-" Taking a deep breath, Axel tried to consider his next words. "I don't really want you mad at me, either."

"You don't." Demyx's tone was flat. "You don't want me… mad at you."

"Well- no. I've been selfish and idiotic all day, really." Axel half-smiled, anxiously. "I know, I've been saying I was helping, but really- really, I just don't want you going along with Zexion's mind games."

"Uh-huh."

Axel sighed. "And, listen- I… I just want you to stay here. Put a band together, whatever makes you happy, blondie. But… I just don't want you to go away."

"Because I'm one of your only friends?" Demyx asked, very quietly.

That made the redhead freeze for a second, and then he stepped a little bit closer to Demyx. "No. Because you're the only person who's ever been _more_ than a friend to me."

Abruptly, the blond gave him a hug. "Axel, shut up."

"What?"

Tilting his head up to look the redhead in the eyes, Demyx remarked drily, "You're just bad at being eloquent today, aren't you?"

In reply, Axel just shook his head, and then kissed the top of Demyx's head. "I think you maybe got the point."

Demyx's reply was to pull Axel's face down to his and kiss him.

* * *

**A/N:** Remember back in October when I was all, "I'm going to finish this before November so I don't abandon it"?  
Yeah. Obviously, life came and punched me in the face. I didn't get a chance to finish it in October, spent November working on my novel for National Novel Writing Month, and then ended up assistant stage managing a play at my school that delightfully ate up the months of December and January.  
Leaving us in February, where I realized "huh, there's that story I was meaning to finish like, five months ago".  
I'm so sorry it took this long. DX And I'm not very happy with it, because I write angst MUCH better than I write romance, in my personal opinion...  
I _will_ write an extra chapter for this story, though. Mostly because there are a few loose ends that wouldn't fit into this chapter.

Also, I'm considering trying to write the Zemyx prologue to this... though that one might be a "nice idea, not really happening" thing with me, because mock trial (my main extracurricular activity) is starting its competing season for the year.

Thanks for reading this, even though I'm not good at consistent updating.

Oh, and happy Valentine's day. 8D


	8. Chapter 8

Sliding a cup of coffee down the counter to him, Aqua asked, "So, was it worth it?"

The slate-haired man took a sip of the drink, and frowned at its bitterness. "I think so, yes."

"You're just messing with your own emotions, too, you know," she said, taking a bite from the pie she had cut for herself earlier. The diner's lights were dimmed, the sign on the door long switched to CLOSED.

He seemed amused by that, as he dumped sugar packets into his coffee. "Of course I am. But- I have to admit to a little bit of regret."

"Oh?"

"Well, I messed up his life- badly. I was…" He paused again, trying to choose his words. "…selfish, to the point of not caring about him. Even though I claimed to love him… more than _claimed_, I guess…"

Aqua took another bite, thoughtfully. "I hope Axel's better for him. Seems Dem can only attract selfish guys."

Zexion laughed, very quietly. "Oh, he's not like me at all. Don't shame him by comparing him to _me_."

"But." She pointed her fork at him. "Was all of this the right choice for _you_?"

"For me?" He seemed startled. "Not at all. But it was- penance, I suppose. Me just trying to help Demyx- in my own way, of course." Staring into the depths of his coffee, he asked, "I hope I didn't make it all worse."

For the first time in their conversation, Aqua's mouth twitched into a smile. "No, Zex. You- well, I guess you really actually fixed everything this time. In… a unique way."

He just shook his head, and sipped his coffee. But he was smiling.

.

"Axel!"

The redhead glanced up at the blond, and grinned. "Aren't you the next act?"

"Sure I am- but I didn't know you were here."

"Have I _ever_ missed any of your shows?"

"Uh- well… no." Demyx shifted his weight from one foot to the other, a smidgen awkward. He bounced back up his usual happiness after a second. "I'll play something special for you, okay?"

"Dem, you don't-"

"I _want_ to!" Grinning, the blond ran back to the stage, just as the em-cee started announcing him.

The polite applause of the audience for the open mic covered the moment when Demyx bounded onto the stage, still grinning. He took the microphone, making a quick introduction as he fiddled with the other mics, setting them into place to pick up the sound of his guitar. A moment later, Axel raised an eyebrow at the blond's song choice, but then just chucked softly.

Demyx caught Axel's eye as he started to sing, and winked. "_Just a city boy… born and raised in south Detroit…"_

Shaking his head, Axel hummed along with the next line, thinking how lucky he'd been to just take that midnight train.

And how lucky he was that the blond- true to "their" song- refused to stop believing.

* * *

**A/N:** And that, my friends, is the somewhat cheesy ending to "Don't Stop Believing".

The Zexion bit is only there because I really thought he was acting extremely odd in the original part... oh well.

I hope that everyone liked the story. ^-^

Until next time,

-Frae.


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